Baseball regular season closing, playoffs to follow

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With the spring weather in full swing and school coming to a close, the end of baseball season is getting closer each day. Gearing up for the playoffs which start next Tuesday, April 30th, the Varsity baseball team has been in full on go-mode for the past month. Rolling through their schedule and conference opponents, and racking up a current overall record of 23 – 5 and a conference record of 11 -2, including an ongoing 10 game win streak, the Patriots have made a strong case for themselves for top seed in the MAIS AAAA playoffs.

This season has been a long one for the Patriots with games starting in early February. It has also not been an easy season. The team has faced many large opponents and higher-up schools like Tupelo, Clinton, Warren Central, and George County. In addition, they have also faced a stacked MAIS conference this year with very talented teams like Jackson Academy, Presbyterian Christian School, and Madison-Ridgeland Academy. The team has also competed against schools from out of state and from different parts of the state in tournaments like the Battle at the Beach tournament in Biloxi over spring break.

To help with the challenging schedule they have had to face, the team has seen a lot of people step up and help produce the dominant season they have had. One player in particular has been sophomore Mason Nichols. A right-handed pitcher, Nichols has had a great season pitching for the Patriots. He has been a leader all year in strikeouts, E.R.A., and has been doing very well as of recently. In a recent double header against MRA, Nichols had an astonishing 12 strikeouts in the first game. Along with many other players on the team, Nichols was selected as a 2019 preseason Underclass All-American by Perfect Game. He was also invited to the Perfect Game Junior National Showcase back in February. Along with Mason, other younger players like Thaxton Berch, Kelly Crumpton, and Seth Bagwell have stepped up and showed out. In addition to the younger players, the seniors have really showed out this year with exceptional performances throughout the season. Despite there only being 6 of them, the seniors have played the largest role in leading and directing the team to one of the most successful seasons thus far in recent years.

The Patriots only have one more regular season opponent, a matchup with Oak Forest for a double header on Friday, April 26th. Round one of the playoffs starts the following Tuesday. Once the regular season is complete and seeding has been confirmed, the schedule and matchups for the playoffs will be announced. The Patriots are the defending champions this year and are searching to bring a 19th state championship to the program. The team is expected to be seeded high in the tournament, but they need the help of the students throughout. Come out and support over the next few weeks, and help the Patriots make it to the ‘ship.